


Premeditated

by busket



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:08:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27638669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/busket/pseuds/busket
Summary: Ganondorf has a meeting with the King of Hyrule, but he has something else planned. Little does he know that the King has something planned for him, too.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Premeditated

“My lord, should we bring our weapons?” One of the four Gerudo women asked.

“Only concealed ones.” Ganondorf answered, quietly. They were in a private room that they had already checked for spies, but he didn’t trust that there couldn't be someone just out the door or window, listening. “After all, right now you are my attendants, not my soldiers.”

She nodded, and then she and the other three women began hiding the small sharp blades on their bodies underneath their garments. In Hyrule they had opted to dress in warmer clothes; not just for the cooler weather, but for just this purpose. 

The five of them had arrived at Hyrule Castle in the early hours of the morning, before sunrise. This was planned; while he was sure that some citizens were probably aware that the Gerudo king was paying the castle a visit, a parade through Castle Town in the broad daylight would have alerted the general public to their presence a bit too much. It was best that this mission was kept somewhat covert. Only the castle needed to know of them at the moment. If anyone asked, they could explain that as desert dwelling people, they were more used to traveling at night guided by the stars. But, no one had questioned it. The servants and representatives of the castle greeted them and led them to their room to rest before their audience with the king of Hyrule in the morning.

Once the girls had hidden their weapons and finished dressing as modest attendants to their king, Ganondorf closed their gilded chest, locked it, and tucked the key away on his person. It contained their weapons, should they need to take the castle by force when the time came. Reinforcements were waiting, hidden to the west. Should Ganondorf fail to secure the keys to the sacred realm, he was prepared to fight for it.

It was now about nine o'clock in the morning, and they heard a knock at the door. It was a castle servant.

“Lord Ganondorf,” The hylian said with a shallow bow. “His majesty is ready to meet with you now.”

“Excellent.” he answered. “Please lead the way. Be on your best behavior, ladies.” They followed the servant out and down to the ground floor where the throne room was.

A Gerudo attendant entered the room first. Her strong voice echoed clear across the large room, tiled floors and intricately carved vaulted ceilings. “Your Majesty, King of Hyrule,” She began. “It is my great honor to introduce to you the king of the Gerudo Desert and Her people: Lord Ganondorf.”

He entered the throne room with the three attendants following behind; the fourth stepped into join them as they passed her. Ganondorf walked proudly and confidently, well aware that the king and the guards stationed along the walls were watching his every move. He stopped a respectable distance from the throne, not close enough to be threatening, not far enough to seem timid. He took a knee and bowed, his attendants did the same.

“Your highness.” He said, his voice smooth and laced with honey. “What an honor it is to be in your presence. Thank you for inviting us into your home, your graciousness is truly humbling.”

“Welcome, Lord Ganondorf.” The King spoke. “Thank you for your kind words, and thank you for reaching out to me for this meeting. You wrote that you wished to come in the name of peace, what did you mean by that?”

Ganondorf stood up. “Your highness, the Gerudo nation and the Kingdom of Hyrule have a strained past, to be sure. It is my dream that with your help, the desert may incorporate with your prosperous land and be united as a singular country.”

The King raised an eyebrow, curious. “You wish to give your land to my kingdom and join Hyrule? And what do you gain from this, Ganondorf?”

“The desert, while rich in many ways, can often be cruel and fickle with her inhabitants…” He explained “While some years we thrive, others we suffer, and must fight to get by through droughts and heat waves. I want my people to be able to live safely and comfortably like your people do, your highness. In return I offer all the resources that our home has to offer, and I relinquish my power as the Gerudo nation’s ruler to you. I hope that such an agreement will mend the relationships between our citizens as well.”

“And what of the Gerudo thieves that have terrorized the merchants and travelers of Hyrule? You can’t deny they are a significant source of this distrust between our people.” The king asked.

Ganondorf was quick to respond. “For that I take full responsibility. You see, I was crowned as the Gerudo king at a very young age, practically since birth.” he said. “With no predecessor to speak of, I have ruled irresponsibly, selfishly, childishly...It is only in recent years that I have amended such mistakes as I have grown and matured. I apologize on behalf of my people, your highness.”

The king thought silently for a moment, then stood from his throne. “Very well. I appreciate your openness and honesty, Ganondorf. I would like to continue this conversation privately, in my strategy room. We can discuss your resources and the plan for our nations over a map.” He gestured to a nearby door and began walking towards it. “Please, come with me.”

“Thank you, your highness.” Ganondorf followed him to the door, but the king stopped him before they entered.

“I’m afraid I must ask that you leave your four attendants here. This room and this conversation is confidential.” He said.

Ganondorf looked back at the four women. “I assure you, I would not have brought them if they were not trustworthy-”

“I must insist. I don’t even allow my own guards to eavesdrop on important discussions like this.”

Ganondorf hesitated. “...Of course, I understand. The four of you, stay here.” He hid his annoyance well. He didn’t need them for protection, but something bothered him about not being in complete control of all the moving parts of his plan. He followed the king into the strategy room.

It was a circular room lined with bookshelves, and in the center was a huge table with a map of Hyrule engraved onto the surface. Scattered across it were small, carved wooden pieces to represent where Hylian soldiers were stationed across the land. The king walked to the far side of the table, to the northern edge of Hyrule near Death Mountain, while Ganondorf stood to the south by Lake Hylia. While looking across the land, imagining the rolling green hills, he noticed that seated to the northeast by Zora’s Domain were a pair of children, a little girl and a boy dressed in green.

Ganondorf smiled at the kids. “Ha, how cute. Are you two pretending to be generals? Are you playing war?” he joked. He looked at the king, expecting him to shoo them away so that they could continue their discussion. Instead, the king met his gaze.

“This is my daughter, Zelda. She has prophetic visions that foretold your arrival today. The boy is named Link. I know he appears to be just a child, but he is the Hero of Time. He arrived here days ago with another prophecy, one which I now believe in whole-heartedly.” The king said.

Ganondorf let out a chuckle to hide his confusion. “The Hero of Time? Is that right…are you a hero, kid?” 

The boy in green didn’t speak. His stare was unfaltering, even as Ganondorf briefly dropped his playful expression and posture to intimidate him. He was unmoved. Ganondorf felt a shiver down his back and broke eye contact first, and was immediately surprised by it. What was with this kid? Something inside of Ganondorf was inexplicably shaken and alarmed by him, a mere child! Where had he seen him before? The princess too, to a lesser extent. But this boy, Link...he wasn’t a normal kid.

“Ganondorf, I must be frank with you.” The king said. “I find it hard to believe that the reason you’ve come is really in the name of peace. Your offer is too good to be true, and your motives are uncharacteristic for a man like yourself.”

_“...What?”_ Ganondorf said, genuinely incredulous. “What on earth are you talking about, what reason do you have to think such a thing? You judge my character, based on what?”

There was a quiet knock on the door. The king bid them to enter, and two guards walked in with the gilded chest from Ganondorf’s room. They placed it on the floor.

“Your highness?!” Ganondorf exclaimed, and turned to the king. “What is the meaning of this, that was in my private room! I expect that if I’m invited to your home, you wouldn’t rifle through my belongings!”

The lock had been destroyed, and one of the guards opened the chest revealing the swords that the Gerudos had brought.

“Explain to me why you are bringing weapons into my home then, for this diplomatic discussion of peace?” The king asked.

Ganondorf frowned, but held back his rage. “Those are artisan blades, handcrafted by my people! They are heirloom quality, I brought them as gifts for you once our alliance was sealed.” He lied. “I cannot believe this disrespect, your highness. I’m appalled.”

“And what of the troupe of Gerudo warriors that we discovered hiding in the hills, just west of the castle?” The king said, and placed a figure at the point on the map where Ganondorf had hid the rest of his soldiers. “Were they bearing gifts, too? Should I have welcomed them into my kingdom, just the same?”

Ganondorf clutched the edge of the table as he felt his face heat up. Two guards, the king, and a pair of children. He could probably take them all at once and escape before being confronted by the guards outside...no, that was too brash. He couldn’t lose control. It wasn’t too late to save face.

“I’m sure that you would understand, being in my position, your highness.” He said, once again making his voice smooth and saccharine. “Our nations have always been at odds, and Hyrule is so much greater and more powerful than the Gerudo. I am their only leader. While I come in the name of peace, my people love me and fear for my safety. They insisted they should come along. I sincerely apologize for allowing them, I never wished to frighten you.”

The princess scoffed. Ganondorf tried ignoring the brat, knowing he was just barely keeping control over his anger. But she spoke: “We already know your plan, Ganondorf!” She said. “Link is the Hero of Time, he’s from the future; a future where you have taken control of and ruined Hyrule! You didn’t come for peace, you came to break into the sacred realm!”

Ganondorf felt a twinge of emotion run through his body; shock, anger, confusion. _How on earth did she know?_ From the future...a future where he was the king of Hyrule?!

“What?! What the hell is she talking about?!” Ganondorf said to the king, slamming his palms on to Hyrule Field. “Are you hearing this nonsense?! Is the King of Hyrule really going to take a childish game of pretend as prophecy!? I have been nothing but gracious and humble; I am the King of the Gerudo, and you cast me off as a thief! Do you care about the lies of some children more than the prosperity of your country?!”

“I care about the prosperity of Hyrule more than anything, Ganondorf! Not you.” The king responded, matching his force. “You have already proven that, when you poisoned the Great Deku Tree in the Kokiri Forest with disease, infected Jabu Jabu of the Zora with a parasite, and blackmailed the Gorons with the threat of starvation, all to collect the three spiritual stones! Did you think I was unaware of these things? And now, you’re here in my castle to find the final key to the sacred realm, the Ocarina of Time. You know it’s somewhere within the walls of this castle, so you lie to me and tell me you’re interested in peace and unity?!”

Ganondorf was speechless. “I... I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Lies, all of it. What a sad, sad day it is, that the leaders of Hyrule have fallen to such depths of paranoia and insanity. My journey here was a complete waste of time.” He said. “I’m leaving, but I will not forget this embarrassment and disrespect! If you want Hyrule and the Gerudo to be true enemies, then you’ll get your wish!” He turned and stormed past the two guards, back out into the throne room.

He was met with more guards blocking his path with their spears. His four attendants were gone, and he noticed a small bit of blood spattered on the tile.

“What...what the hell is going on?! What have you done?” He asked, appalled.

The two children came out of the strategy room and stood off to the side, followed by the two guards, who also readied their weapons. The king stood behind them.

“Your highness.” It was a different voice, a Sheikah woman. Ganondorf hadn’t noticed her when he entered the room, as if she had appeared out of nowhere. “We have apprehended the four Gerudo warriors. They were armed with concealed blades; two of our guards were stabbed before we took control of the situation. The injured guards are being attended to.”

“Good work, Impa.” The king said. “Do you hear that, Ganondorf? You’re outnumbered, all your subordinates have been seized, and you are under arrest for conspiring against the kingdom of Hyrule. Surrender quietly.”

Ganondorf spun to face the king again, now furious. “This is a declaration of war, do you hear me?! If you’re so certain of your idiotic prophecy, then explain it! Tell me exactly how you know that some stupid little kid traveled from the future to tell you of your demise by my hand! What a joke!”

“Surrender, first.”

Ganondorf felt his last semblance of control snap as rage overtook him. The king stood protected behind two armed guards, and he was surrounded by spears behind him blocking all exits. The two children were vulnerable, including the precious young princess. 

“Like hell I will!” he shouted in defiance, and his right hand crackled and burned from the spell charging there. He lunged towards the princess. If he could take her hostage he might just be able to escape and return to his plan from another direction at another time. Or, perhaps he would just destroy her and make this whole kingdom suffer, if he felt like it.

Just before he reached her, his burning hands large enough to crush her little head, he was stopped in his tracks by a pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a green cap, and red blood flowing down the short sword stuck in between his ribs. The boy pulled his sword out from Ganondorf’s side, and he shouted in pain as he fell to his knees. He pressed his hands to the wound to stop the flow of blood but still heard it splattering to the floor.

His vision was going hazy from shock as the other guards moved in to arrest him. The Sheikah woman quickly rushed over to lead the princess away, but the boy remained as Ganondorf doubled over in front of him.

“Just...just who the hell are you…?” Ganondorf grunted. It was painful and hard to breathe, his lung must have been punctured. “You...can’t really be from the future... _can you?”_

The boy said nothing, he simply sheathed his sword and stepped back to allow the guards to apprehend the man. As his vision darkened from the blood loss and pain, he could only make out the brilliant green of the child’s clothing, and his mind was consumed with only one thought:

This wasn’t over. He would survive this, he would survive everything they threw at him. And he would win in the end, no matter what. Even if he had to sacrifice everything; his people, his body, his humanity. He would enter the sacred realm and take Hyrule for himself, even if it took lifetimes.


End file.
